Eugene vincent



(No Model.)

B. VINCENT.

WHEEL FOR YBHIOLES.

No. 593,708. Patented Nov. 16,1897.

EUGENE VINCENT, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ssrenon TO JULEs EMILE- sENEoI-IAL, or SAME PLACE.

WHEEL FORIVEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ram No. 593,708, dated November 16, 1897.

Application filed July 16,1896. $erial No. 599,338. (No model.) Patented in Iranoe August 11, 1893, No. 232,127; in England August l1,1898,1lo.28,514,and September 9, 1893, No. 23,518; in Belgium November 24, 1893, No. 107,335; in Germany November 30,1893,N0. 77,45 8, and in Austria-Hungary December 24, 1894, No. 68,048 and No. 61,887.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatI, EUGENE VIN CENT,of the city of Paris, France, have invented Improvements in Wheels for Vehicles, (for'which I have obtained Letters Patent inFrance for fifteen years, dated August 11, 1893, No. 232,127 in Belgium for fifteen years, dated November 24, 1893, No. 107,335; in England for fourteen years, dated August 11, 1893, No. 23,514, and September 9, 1893, No. 23,518; in Germany for fifteen years, dated November 30, 1893, No. 77,458, and in Austria-Hungary for fifteen years, dated December 24, 1894, No. 68,048 and No.'61,337,) of which the following is a'full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of a wheel having a plurality of concentric rims connected by intervening springs, the inner rim, or one of the inner rims, to which the spokes are attached being rigid, while the outer one is flexible and movable independently of the inner rim or rims and the springs upon which the said outerrim is supported,\vhereby great flexibility and ease of running are obtained without noise by reason of the independent mobilitybf the exterior rim, which adapts itself to the inequalities of the ground, and without liability of the springs being wrenched from their support or unduly distorted.

The improvement may be carried out in different ways-for example, by interposing between the independent external rim and the inner rim or rims an arrangement of rods provided with helical springs or by applying spiral, fiat, conical, or other form of springs.

The present application has more especially for its object to describe and claim the external free and independent rim in combination with a rigid interior rim or rims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 of which shows one arrangement in which the independent exterior rim is' mounted on springs united by flexible strips. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate two other modes of mounting the independent rim and show how it follows the inequality of the ground. Fig. 4 shows a modified arrangement of spring connection; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same, on a larger scale, taken on line 1 2, Fig. 4.

The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

In Fig. 1 the inner rigid rim or rims a receive the spokesb, and are provided with a series of studs c,with which the volute springs cl, formed of steel ribbon or wire, engage. The smaller end of each spring 01 incloses a stud e, carried by a shoe f, provided with flanges which loosely embrace the edges of the outer rim 9. This rim 9 is formed of ribbon-steel, and may be faced with leather, rubber, or other suitable material. It is not riveted or otherwise fixed to the shoe f, against which it is freely applied, andis capable of sliding longitudinally relatively to the inner rim, it being held on the shoes f by the pressure which it exerts upon the springs. In order to prevent the springs becoming displaced by excessive action, they are united by very thin steel bands It, attached to the shoes f',curved inwardly at their ends, and riveted together with strips 't' of india-rubber, leather, or other material interposed.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the springs dare cylindrical and connected together at equal distances bya flexible band 70, attached to shoes f and made of india-rubber or other material or formed of plies of rubber-coated fabric.

In Fig. 3 the inner rimis formed of two concentric rims a a, united by tubular distance-pieces Z, serving as guides for radial rods 6, provided with shoes f, in which the outer rim g is received, and adapted to move longitudinally, spiral springs n on the rods 6 being confinedbetween the inner rims and outer rim g.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the deformation of the external rim and cedes to any inequality in theground, so that it is impossible for the wheel to be injured by the compression of the springs only occur'at contact with a stone or other obstacle. The elasticity of the outer flexible rim renders the running extremely smooth and easy.

I am aware that heretofore wheels have been devised wherein two rigid concentric rims with interposed springs were provided, but in all such wheels the outer rim was connected to the wheel structure and was incapable of a sliding movement independent of the inner rim, the springs, and all other portions of the wheel structure.

I claim 1. A wheel comprising two concentric rims, springs interposed between the rims to form a support for the outer rim, the said outer rim being entirely disconnected from the inner rim and the springs, whereby a free and independent movement of the outer rim may be had, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A wheel comprising an inner rigid rim, springs carried by said rim, flexible connections between the outer ends of said springs and the outer flexible ring supported upon said springs but independent thereof and of the other parts of the wheel, whereby an independent movement of the outer rim may be had.

3. In a wheel having two concentric rims, the outer independent rim 9 being flexible, springs d having shocsfon the outer ends thereof, the outer ends of the springs dbeing held at equal distances apart by strips of thin sheet-steel 7L attached to the shoes f, the said shoes forming a direct support for the outer rim 9 which is independent of and movable independently of said shoes, substantially as described.

The foregoing specification of my improvements in wheels for vehicles signed by me this 29th day of June, 1896.

EUGENE VINCENT.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD P. MAGLEAN, ALBERT MOREAU. 

